By Brian Lockhart
An unidentified man accidentally hanged himself Friday morning in a College Point shopping center after removing used clothing from a bin in the parking lot, a police captain at the scene said.
The incident occurred around 9 a.m. in the parking lot of the Pathmark Shopping Center, directly across from the Whitestone Expressway. The used clothing bin was one of four located in a corner of the lot across the street from a Wendy's fast food restaurant.
As of press time Tuesday, police were still trying to identify the victim – a male Ecuadorean in his 20s – who they said did not appear to have been homeless.
Police Capt. Bernard Gillespie, who was on the scene Friday as officers concluded their investigation and removed the body around 1 p.m., said witnesses saw the man enter the bin through a pull-out door around 8:30 a.m. and begin to toss clothing out into the parking lot.
The bin's door is similar to that of a large mailbox and meant to be opened temporarily from the outside for clothing to be dropped inside.
Gillespie said when the victim attempted to escape, he apparently could not hold the door open from the inside and it closed on his neck, pinning him.
“He wasn't strong enough to counteract his own weight,” Gillespie said.
Gillespie and other police on the scene also noted the man was short and probably unable to get a good foothold on the inside of the bin.
“He kind of strangled himself,” said one of the officers.
The medical examiner ruled the death an accidental hanging, according to a spokeswoman.
Gillespie said the man had no identification, but a biker's jacket and helmet found in the vicinity might be possible clues to who he was. Gillespie said a motorcycle was not found in the parking lot.
As police removed the victim's body from the scene and the story of his death circulated among onlookers, many could only shake their heads at the tragic accident.
“All for a bag of clothes,” said one man.
